May 18, 108 T.E.
Big gala at the Artemisia Palace
In honour of Crown Princess Channary's 24th birthday
and coming of age to inherit the lunar crown...
"Hey, Levana? Could we please play on your net-pod? I'm so bored!" Akiho whined.
Levana just rolled her eyes. "No, Akiho. I'm busy as it is."
Akiho's game of choice on the net-pod was PrincessBall, in which they attended lavish parties and dressed up in taffeta ball gowns and diamond tiaras. Levana had even saved their custom-designed prince to her game profile so they could play with him again and again. He was tall, dark, handsome and wore a formal uniform of black dress pants and a red jacket adorned with a gold brocade belt and a crimson-and-gold sash. He never failed to gift them with boxes of chocolate—it was for this reason that they called him "Prince Chocolate". Although Levana didn't really enjoy the game all that much, she made an effort for her party-loving android, who was never allowed to attend the balls in Artemisia.
(so much dancing such excess such prissy prissy people they all laugh at me behind my back)
"Akiho, my wrench, please?" Levana held out her hand. Akiho huffed and dumped the heavy metal tool in the princess' hand.
Levana's knuckles ached from forcing the screwdriver into the joint as she struggled to loosen the screw one gritting twist after another. By the time it was extracted far enough for her to wrench it free with her real, human hand, the hairline threads had been stripped clean.
Tossing the screwdriver onto her desk, Levana gripped the metal fingers and yanked the hand from her wrist. A spark singed her fingertips and she jerked back, leaving the hand to dangle from a tangle of red and yellow wires. She slumped back with a relieved moan. She swore that the old, beat up piece of metal was getting heavier by the day. She looked over to the clean box, holding its replacement. It had arrived earlier that morning, all the way from the Earthen country called America. How excited she was when Akiho had handed her the neat package, so artfully disguised so that no one would suspect its origin.
(a new hand I love it it's amazing thank you Akiho you're the best)
Sighing, she bent over to the toolbox hidden beneath her desk. After digging through the jumbled mess of screwdrivers and wrenches, she emerged with the fuse puller that had been long buried at the bottom. One by one, she disconnected the wires that still linked her hand and wrist, each spurting a tiny spark.
"So, you excited for tonight?" Akiho asked gleefully over Levana's shoulder. The princess stopped pulling, looking perplexed.
Levana quirked a slender eyebrow. "What should I be excited for?"
"Duh! Channary's birthday bash! All the Earthen dignitaries will be there, including those super hot princes from the Eastern Commonwater..."
"Eastern Commonwealth, and there's only one prince, Akiho," Levana replied with a giggle.
"Whatever! But seriously, though. Can you believe it? The super hot emperor and prince of the Eastern Commonwealth are coming here. To Luna. To Artemisia. Aren't you just ecstatic?"
"No, not really."
Akiho gasped. "What? How could you say that?"
"This party will be no different than any other that I've been to. Trust me. It's just another occasion for Channary to rub her 'superiority' in my face. Besides, she'll probably have every man in the room at her feet within five minutes," Levana said, sighing.
(my hair is a mess why can't it be more like Channary's she's so perfect everyone loves her)
"Aw, cheer up! You're way better than she is! Who knows? Maybe the Earthen are different. Maybe they aren't into stuck-up tyrants. Either way, I'm sure that you'll have a ton of fun," Akiho said with unbelievable optimism.
"Whatever you say…" Levana sighed. "So, when are these 'wonderful' Earthen arriving?" She rolled her eyes.
"In about forty-five minutes," Akiho chirped.
Levana's eyes bugged. She only had forty-five minutes to finish her repairs and to make herself look presentable? How could not have noticed the time? She mentally cursed herself.
The princess quickly grabbed the pristine metal hand out of the box, knocking over several tools and books in the process. It was the most advanced and lifelike model ever made, the metal fingers slim and sleek, like her real ones. It had set her back nearly two-hundred thousand univs, which had taken three years and a lot of begging to her parents to save up. Levana gently propped her wrist on the desk and began connecting the color-coordinated wires.
"Fits like a glove, doesn't it?" Akiho said, holding a handful of screws while Levana twisted them into the predrilled holes.
"That was a really bad pun," Levana chuckled.
Akiho huffed. "Well I'm sorry, Your Highness," she grumbled.
Levana smiled. "You're getting really good at your sarcasm."
She tightened the last screw and stretched out her arm, rolling her wrist forward, back, wiggling her fingers. It was a little stiff, and her nerve sensors would need a few days to keep up with the updated wiring, but at least she wouldn't have an arm that seemed to weigh a ton. She threw her screwdriver onto her desk and rushed to her wardrobe, nearly slamming into the wall in her haste. The doors burst open, and she quickly pulled out the gown that she had chosen the night before.
(pretty which should I choose oh I don't want it tight or revealing it'll be embarrassing)
It was a soft, sky blue number with a crossover neckline and dotted rosemaling at the hem. A dark blue ribbon was cinched at the waist with a glittery, crescent-moon shaped brooch. She raced to her bathroom, flinging off the dirty slip dress she was wearing. Levana slipped into the silk gown, the fabric feeling like poison ivy on her skin. She grimaced. How she hated fancy dresses. She hated fancy parties, fancy shoes, fancy everything.
She may have been a princess, but she was definitely not a fan of corsets.
Grabbing a pair of bejewelled flats, she hobbled out of the bathroom, attempting to stuff her small feet into the pinchy footwear. She grabbed her hairbrush off her vanity before going back in to clean her grease-spotted face. The war against the rat's nest on her head was interrupted by Akiho's shrill yelling.
"Hey! You can't just barge—"
"Oh, do shut up!" a feminine voice barked.
(how I hate that voice it's so annoying what does she want now)
Levana heard a crash and some swearing. "Ugh, how I hate androids!" the voice said.
The princess was just finishing up, tying her long auburn hair in a simple but elegant ponytail.
"Levana? Are you in here?" the voice barked again, making Levana grit her teeth. That voice belonged to the last person in the world that she wanted to see. She swallowed her contempt and put on a well practiced smile before reentering her bedroom.
Standing next to the desk was her older sister, looking as stunning as ever. She wore an exquisite sleeveless gown, made from fabric the colour of gold. The sweetheart neckline put her full chest on display, her throat draped with a necklace of pearls and diamonds. The neckline and hem of the gown were embroidered with traditional rosemaling and the exposed underskirt glittered like the stars in an endless sky. Her straight brown hair cascaded down to her hips and a platinum crown incrusted with lunar diamonds sat on her bangs.
"Well, if it isn't my big sister, descending from on high to mingle with the commoners!" Levana said in a saccharine voice, her hips swaying as she brushed by.
Channary glared briefly, then stepped back and did a half spin, letting the shimmering skirt billow around her ankles. "What do you think, Levana? Won't Emperor Saito absolutely adore me in this?"
Levana barely restrained the urge to slime one of her dirty cleaning rags over the gown. Instead, she tossed her grease-stained slip dress on her bed.
"Is there something you needed?" Levana asked, internally rolling her eyes.
"Yes, actually. I wanted to ask your opinion." Channary held out her hands. On her wrists were mismatched bracelets, one laden with diamonds, the other made of pure gold that seemed to slither up her forearm.
Levana put a finger to her lips, pretending to think. "The gold makes your wrist look fat," she retorted.
Channary scoffed. "The metal plating makes your wrist look fat. You're just jealous of my lovely hands. It's a shame that you'll never know the pleasure," she sighed in mock sympathy.
"I'm glad you found at least one body part that's lovely," Levana said.
Channary, instead of reacting, just tossed her golden hair, a smug grin on her face. She knew that Levana's taunting had no power, and Levana was irritated when the low insult brought her no satisfaction.
"I've been rehearsing my conversation with every single royal that will be at my party. Of course, I intend to tell them everything." She swayed so that her shimmering skirt caught the light.
"First, I'm going to tell them all about your ugly metal extremities and how much of an embarrassment you are, what a disgusting creature they turned you into. I'm also going to make sure that the emperor realizes how much more desirable I am."
"What is it with your infatuation of the emperor? It's not like you've ever found any Earthen appealing, anyway," Levana spat.
"Politics, Levana. Maybe someday, if you ever manage to get your head out of the dirt, you might care to learn a thing or two about them."
The princess scowled, her nostrils flared. "Whatever, Channary. Are you done yet?" Levana's patience was wearing thin. Channary clucked her tongue.
"Insolence doesn't really suit you, sister dearest. Just make sure that you stay out of my way, or I'll make sure that this night will end horribly for you," Channary said, her voice silky velvet.
With a final swish of her hips, she left the room, closing the door behind her.
Levana gagged. How she hated her. Channary was just so annoying. She could hurt and torment her in any way she wished, and Levana couldn't do a thing about it. God help her if she even tried to lay a finger on her older sister, heir to the throne. She would often fantasize about programming Channary as easily as she could program her android. Oh, how the game would change then, if her sister was to follow her orders for once, rather than the other way around.
"Is she gone?" a soft voice whispered from behind the desk. Levana looked over to see Akiho huddled on the floor, her bulbous head craned sideways, her arms crooked and snapped.
"Yes, you can come out now. Come on, I'll fix you up," Levana said tenderly. Akiho was her only friend, and she hated to see Channary inflict damage upon her.
"Are you sure? Don't you have to go to the party?" Akiho waddled over.
"Don't worry, I have time to fix you first." Levana picked her up and placed her on her desk, grabbing a screwdriver.
Snap!
She twisted one of Akiho's arms back in place, cringing at the sound, trying to remind herself that Akiho was an android, and that androids couldn't feel pain. Not physical, at least.
"So, who are you going to dance with?"
Levana groaned. "Don't remind me."
"About what?"
She shuddered. "The dancing."
"What do you have against dancing?"
"It's a very dangerous pastime, at least for me," said, cringing as she remembered the last time she danced with someone. Long story short: it did not end well.
"Why, 'cause you're really clumsy?"
"I'm not clumsy! It's just that the floor hates me, the chairs and tables are bullies and the wall always gets in my way," Levana huffed with false indignation. She tightened the last screw and Akiho was as good as new.
"It seems that you're in de-ni-al!" Akiho said, snapping her prongs and swaying her—imaginary—hips.
Levana rolled her eyes, smiling. "Whatever."
"Oh, Levana, look at the time! You should probably get going, your entrance will be announced in..." Akiho's insides hummed, "about three minutes."
"WHAT?! No, no, I'm going to be late! Gah!" Levana grabbed her golden tiara off her vanity and placed on her head before racing out the door. "See you later, Akiho!"
"Wait! You're forgetting your gloves!" Akiho cried, gesturing to the cream coloured silk gloves that lay beside her. Levana turned around and grabbed them from the desk, thanking Akiho.
Akiho waved. "Have fun!"
Ha, fun. As if I could have fun on this stupid piece of rock I call home.